Stem head



July 6 1926.

INVENTOR JOHN J; HIGGINS ATTORNEY Patented July 6, 1926.

UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

JOHN JOSEPH HIGGINS, OF EAST ORATNGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO WESTING- HOUSE LAMP COMPANY, A CORPORATION 01 PENNSYLVANIA.

srnm mean.

Application filed February 3, 1922. Serial No. 533,762.

This invention relates to .the manufacture of incandescent electric lamps and it has special relation to apparatus for making lamp stems.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine for the convenient and ex editious assembly of the several parts whic constitute a lamp stem.

A further object is to provide mechanism for facilitating the assembly of the stem parts and the removal of the completed stem.

Another object is to provide mechanism for reducing the manual operations required to assemble the several work parts for the production of a stem.

A stem for an electric incandescent lamp consists of a plurality of work-parts which These work-parts .include an arbor, two leading-in wires and a flare tube. In lamps of thetipless type an additional forms a portionof the stem.

In th manufacture of a stem, stem-making devices or stem-heads are employed A plurality of such heads are carried ona conveyor and moved intermittently, the workparts being assembled in one of the heads during the intervals when the heads are at rest.

Machines for manufacturing stems are well known'and com rise a central hub suitably mounted on a base and provided with a conveyor or spider having a plurality of arms terminating in hubs in which stemheads are usually mounted rotatably. In the present invention, however, the stem-heads may berigidly secured at'the ends of the arms, it having been found advantageous not to rotate the heads, thus avoiding the necessity of roviding means for terminating the rotation of the head when positioned for the assembly of the work-parts or removal of a completed stem.

Means are rovidedfor effecting an intermittent rotation of the spider which is 'provided with indexing mechanism operating to temporarily stop the conveyor at given positions throughout its'path of movement. During the quiescent periods of the. conveyor the work-parts are assembled in one of the heads while heat is being applied 10- cally to the assembled parts in another head. Certain portions of the work are thus renpart, termed an exhaust tube,.

tering an exhaust tube.

sure, may be directed through the tube while the heated portion is still plastic, and a puncture of the wall of the tube is effected to provide a communication for exhaust purposes when the bulb is evacuated during other steps in the manufacture of the lamp, have been consolidated by the application of heat and pressure.

which steps form no part of the present invention.

Most of the above described apparatus, as, for instance, the conveyor and other co-opcrating machine elements, are well known in the art and, therefore, are not illustrated but have been briefly outlined to give a more" complete understanding of the present invention which comprises an improved form -of work-support applicable to a variety of heads which may be carried on any suitable type of coveyor or machinery.

y improved work-supporting member is shown applied to a stem-head having a air of jaws for securing and centering a are tube and a pair ofjaws for securing and cen- The work-supportin'g member is provided with an aperture for receiving an arbor, and other 7 apertures called well-pockets in which the ends of lead ing-in wires may be disposed.

Heretofore, this work-supporting member was the axial line of the head which caused the apertures for receiving the several workparts to be positioned out of the easy range of vision of an operator thus making it necessary for the operator to take a position which was not most convenient for the expeditious assembly of the parts. Other dispermanently positioned substantially on 5 i advantages arose from the relative osition of the other portions of the stem-hea which offered interference to the free movements of the operator when assembling the-parts.

This interference makes it necessary for the operator to perform certain given motions which must,

at all times, be conformed to and which are not always desirable, since the operator must exercise a certain amount of skill in positioning the several parts, thereby being subjected to more or less strain.

The present invention avoids the above disadvantages by providing a movable worksupporting member which may be tilted or adjusted to a position without the head for the disposition thereon of several of the work-parts. This relative adjustment of the holder permits the operator to have a full view of all the apertures into which certain of the parts are to be inserted without the necessity of exercising unusual care to avoid interference with parts of the machine.

The invention will be more fully understood by a reading of the following, description and a reference to the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is a view, in elevation, of a stemhead having my improved work-supporting member associated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a'side view of Fig. 1, the worksupporting member, in dotted lines, being indicated in its outer position of adjust-- ment;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line IIIIII in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a plan view, as indicated by the line'1VIV in Fig. 1, of the work-supporting member in its two positions of adjustment, one of which, the outer one, being I shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 5 isan enlarged vertical section of the stem-head, some parts being broken away and Fig. 6 is a side view of a complete stem.

Theseveral work-parts which are shown in the drawing as applied to my work-supporting member, comprise an arbor 3, a flare tube 4 and leading-in wires 5. The member is so associated with a head, to'be later described, that it may be quickly and conveniently adjusted from its position within the head to a position adjacent the head. When so adjusted the arbor, flare tube and leading-in wires are positioned thereon after which the supporting member may be conveniently moved to a position within the head and, at the same time, may carry the several work parts to a proper relation with the axial line of the head. An exhaust tube 6 is then disposed in a given relation to the assembled arts and consolidated therewith. Means to e hereinafter described are employed for automatically opening the jaws which secure the flare tube to permit its admission between the jaws.

4 The stem-head to which my improvement is applied comprises a standard having a central shaft 7 adapted to be carried in a hub 8 disposed at the end of anarm 9 of a rotatable spider constituting the conveyor of a lamp-making machine. The standard includes two laterally disposed vertical bear ings 10 and 11, a guide bracket 12 being secured to the upper ends of the said bearings and positioned substantially on the axial line of the head. The function of the bracket will be described later.

Jaws for gripping the flare-tube and the exhaust tube may be of any suitable construction. In the head illustrated, these jaws are of the sliding type, capable of centering and securing a work-part, with its axial line coincident with the axial line of the head, and are described and claimed in my copending application #447,604, filed Feb. 24, 1921. universal stem head and assigned to the Westinghouse 'Lamp Company.

' Lower or flare-tube-holdin jaws 15 and 16 are movable in a carrier 1% and exhausttube-holding jaws 21 and 22 are movable in a carrier 23. The carriers are. spaced :1 given distance apart and are connected by cylindrical members 2 1- and 25. A single casting may be made of the upper and lower jaw carriers and the cylindrical members which may be mounted above the bearings 10 and 11 by means of two tubular connectors 26 and 27'.

Each pair of jaws is operated by the rotation of a pinion which engages two racks,

one rack being secured to each jaw; an oscil-v lation of the pinion causes a reciprocation of the jaws, to cause them to open and close. Since the structure essential for erforming the above operations is set fort in-the above mentioned copending application, it is not illustrated in the present drawing but means for operating the pinions are shown. a,

The upper jaws 21 and 22 are actuated by a pinion 28 secured at the upper end of a shaft 29 which is rotatable in bearing 11, tubular connector 27 and cylindrical member 25. The shaft 29 is manually oscillated by means of a lever 31 secured to the lower end thereof.

The jaws 15 and 16 are actuated by a pinion 32 secured to the upper end of a shaft 33 disposed in the bearing 10 and tubular connector 26. An actuation of the shaft 33 may be produced by a manual manipulation of a lever 34 (see Fig. 2) secured to the lower end of the shaft 33. It is more desirable, however, to provide automatic means for the actuation of the lower jaws. One manner of accom lishing this automatic action is to provide a cam 35 so disposed with relation to the conveyor head, that, as the head is moved to a given position, an extended portion 36 of the lever 34 will traverse the cam, and the lever will take the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, causing a separation of the, jaws 15 and 16 preparatory to the insertion of the flare-tube 4.- For the purpose of normally maintainingboth pairs of jaws closed, a

helical spring 37 is provided having one end secured to a. lug 38 integral with the lever 31 and the opposite end secured to a relatively short arm 39 disposed on the hub of the lever 34. It will thus be seen that both pairs of. jaws are normally maintained closed and that the lower pair may be auto matically opened when the head is indexed to the loading position.

For the purpose of supporting the arbor 3 and leading m wires 5 of a lamp, a member 41, having an aperture to receive the arbor and. holes or pockets for the leading-in wires, is provided. In the present invention, this member is made adjustable and constitutes the above mentioned movable work-part holder which may be tilted toward the operator during the loading and unloading operations. y

:In order to permit atilting movement of the member 41, it is provided with 'a pair of extended bearings 42 pivotally secured to a lug 43 integral with the head. The tilting member 41 is thus hinged and may be oscillated to move into and out from the head. When the tilting member is in position within the head, its upper end ispositioned in the bracket 12 which serves as a guide to align the member 41 so that, when in position, its axial line and that of the head will coincide. Although the member 41- may be actuated by hand, it has been found desirable to perform this operation by a foot-operated mechanism. Such mechanism may comprise a foot treadle 44, as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1. This treadle may be located in .a position convenient to an operator and so disposed with respect to the stem-heads that, when a head has been indexed to a position for the assemblyof the work-parts, the head and treadle will be in operative relation. and the member 41 is provided by a rod' 45 reci rocable in the shaft 7. The u per end of t e rod is ivotally connected to t e lower end of the tilting member 41 by a pin 46 disposed in slots 47. The slots are sulficiently elongated to permit the necessary angular movement of the tilting member.

The lower end, of the rod 45 projects downwardly to bepositione'd for enga ement with the treadle when the head is isposed before the operator for the assemblyof" the workarts. A depression of the treadle then e ects an upwardmovement of the rod 45, causing the member 41 to be tilted outwardlywlth respect to the head. When the treadle is released, the member- 41 is automatically returned'to its inner (position through the action of a s ring 48 1sposed between the lower end 0 the shaft 7 and acollar 49 secured to the rod 45.

The angle to which the member 41 is tilt- Connection between the treadle .is indicated to limit the downward movement of the treadle arm 52 which, obviously, limits the upward movement of the rod 45 and permits the'member 41 being tipped to a greater or lesser angle, as may be found desirable.

The work-part holder or tilting member 41' is provided with a suitable recess 53 having a relatively small upper portion in which an arbor 3 may be inserted, an adjustable sto 54 being provided to support the arbor w ich is automatically positioned in a central position by a finger 55 actuated by leaf springs 56. At eachside of the recess 53 is a tubular aperture or well-pocket 57 (see Fig. 4) in which the leadin -in wires 5 may be disposed. The ends of t csc wiresare passed through the'apertures 57, which connect with the enlarged lower portion of the recess 53, to permit the downward movement of the wires until the engage with' an adjustable stop 58; su cient space being provided at the sides of the stop 54 to permit the passage of the leading-in wires. I

When the member 41 has been tilted and an arbor and the leading-in wires 5 suitably positioned, it is evident that a flare-tube 4, placed over the leading-in wires, will be held in position thereby during theinward or 0scillatory movement of the member 41.

In practice, the head is 'moved until it isindexed to the required sition with respect to the operator, at w ich time the cam 35 is engaged with the lever end 36, thereby opening the flare-tube-holding jaws 15 and 16 and maintaining them open while the head is in such position. The operator then actuates the foot treadle, causing the adjustable or tiltin member to rock away from the head. n arbor 3 is then inserted into the member and seated on the ad justable sto 54 and held by the tensionfinger 55 on t e axial line of the member 41; the lead-in wires 5 are then inserted through their apertures 57 until their ends seat upon the adjustable stop 58 after which the flaretube 4 is placed overthe leading-in wires.

It is obvious that, when desirable, the operator may position the leading-in wires within the flare-tube revious to their insertion in the'pockets, t us the positio mng of the leading-in "wires andthe flare-tube may be made in one operation.

It will be readily. understood that the leading-in wires act to prevent the flare-tube from slippin ofl',from the-end of the adjustable mem r whenthe said member 1s tilted. Therefore, when the several workparts have been positioned as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, the member 41 is permitted to return within the head by a release of the treadle. The lever 31 is then manipu lated to open the jaws 21 and 22;and an exhaust tube is positioned within the flaretube and in proper relation to the end of the positioned arbor and secured in place by the jaws 21 and 22 when the lever 31 is released.

The several parts of the stem, having thus been assembled in the head, the head is permitted to move in its given path, whereupon the lever end 36 is removed from engage ment with the cam 35, and the jaws 15 and 16 close upon, and adjust, the flare tube in proper relation to the other parts. The head, having the stem parts thus assembled, moves to a position where heat is locally applied, and suitable jaws are actuated to press and consolidate the several parts. After such consolidation, the head continues to be moved intermittentl until it again reaches the operator, at which time the lever end 36 has engaged with the cam 35 and the flare-tube holding jaws are opened. The stem is then ready to be removed from the head, which removal is also greatly facilitated by my improved mechanism, as it is then only necessary to manipulate the lever- 31 to open the jaws 21 and 22 and actuate the treadle, thereby tilting the member 41 and positioning the completed stem for convenient removal, the member 41 being in position for the assembly of other parts for con-, solidation to produce another stem.

It will be'understood that the adjustable member 41 may, if desired, he slid outwardly on a track toward the operator without tilting. Furthermore, a stem-head embodying my improvement may be used for the manufacture of miniature lamps or other lamp constructions in which no arbor isemployed.

While I have illustrated a preferred em-' bodiment of my invention it is evident that many structural changes may be made therein and it is to be understood that my invention is to be limited only by the scope of the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A stem head having movable means adapted to travel from said head to receive a stem part, said means being returnable to osition the part carried thereby in alignment with the axial line of said head, means for gripping said part to hold the same in the said aligned relation and means for supporting another part in alignment with said first mentioned part.

2. A stem head having means for support- Eng a plurality of assembled work-parts in axial. alignment for consolidation, said means including a member normally exposed within said head for supporting at least one ofsaid parts, said member being movable outwardly with respect to said head to facilitatethe assembly of said parts and-means within said head to grip parts positioned therein by said member.

3. A stem head having means for supporttube ing a plurality of assembled work-parts with their axial lines coincident with the axial line of the head, said means including a member for supporting at least one of said parts, said member being so associated with the head as to be rockable therefrom for the reception of work-parts and capable of reverse movement to position work-parts within the head and means for gripping the parts to align the Same on the long axis of the head.

4. A stem head having means for supporting an exhaust tube and a 'member for supporting an arbor, said. member being movable in substantially a lateral direction with respect to said head to facilitate the insertion of said arbor.

5. A stem head having means for supporting an exhaust tube and a member for supporting an arbor and a flare-tube, said member bemg movable in alateral direction with respect to said head to facilitate the insertion of an arbor therein and a flare-tube thereon. i

6. A stem head having means for supporting an exhaust tube and a member for supportingleading-inwires and a flare tube, Said member being movable substantially laterally with respect to said head to facilitate the'positionlng thereon of said wires and flare tube.

7. A stem head having means for supporting the several parts'of a stem, said means including an arbor holder for supporting an arbor on the axial line of said head during the consolidation of the several parts, said holder being movable out of said axial line to facilitate the insertion of an arbor therein.

8. A stem head having means for supporting the several parts of a stem, said means including an adjustable member for supporting an arbor and a flare tube on the axial line of said head for consolidation, said member being movable out of the axial line of the head to facilitate the assembly of said stem and arbor and for the removal of ya completed stem.

9. A stem head having a pair of tubegripping jaws, means for actuating said jaws and means including a pivoted member to receive and support an arbor and flare tube on the axial line of said head, said holder being movable out of the axial line to facilitate the disposition of said arbor and tube preparatory to the engagement of said y said jaws.

1Q. A stem head having a pair of tubegripping jaws, means for actuating said jaws, a movable support for an arbor, flare tube and leading-in wires, said support being adapted to move to and from the axial line of said head to facilitate their disposition preparatory to the engagement of said jaws with said flare tube. g 11. A stem head having a pair of exhausttube-gripping jaws and a pair of flare-tubegrippmg jaws, manually operable means for actuating said means for automatically actuating said last mentioned jaws and a movable support for said flare-tube to facilitate the disposition of said tube of by said automatically actuated jaws.

12. A stem'head having a pair of exhausttube-gripping jaws and a pair of flare-tubegripping jaws, manually operable means for actuating said first mentioned jaws and means for automatically actuating said last mentioned jaws and a movable support for an arbor and a flare tube to facilitate the disposition of said arbor and tube preparatory to the engagement of said flare tube with said automaticall actuated jaws.

13. A stem hea having a pair of exhausttube-gripping jaws and a palr of flare-tubegripping jaws, manually operable means for actuating said mentioned jaws and means for automatically actuating said last mentioned jaws and a movable support for an arbor, leading-in wires and flare tubes to facilitate their disposition preparatory to first mentioned jaws and preparatory to engagement there-- axial line the engagement of saio automatically actuated jaws.

14. A stem head having a member movable from said head to receive an arbor and a flare tube, said member being returnable to position said flare tube and arbor with the longitudinal axes thereof coincident with the of said head and gripping jaws for holding said flare on the said axial line.

15. In a lamp-making machine, the combination of non-rotatable stem heads mounted on said conveyor, a movable work supporting member associated with such head to receive and position a plurality of work parts with their longitudinal axes coincident with the longitudinal axis of a head and nare tube by saidmeans adjacent to the path of movement of i 'said heads to automatically move said work supports out from said heads to receive work parts and into said heads for ment during consolidation.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 2nd day of February, 1922.

JOHN JOSEPH HIGGINS.

axial aligu- 

